Tag Archives: Ann Arbor

We are on the backside of the summer season here in Michigan and the Midwest. That meant when I was out on the open road this week, I came across a field of Pure Michigan sunflowers as far as the eye can see.

I got as close to the never-ending field in Whitmore Lake, just outside Ann Arbor, as I could without going in. The early morning light just beamed off the sunflowers that were as tall as me. All of the bright blue sky served as the perfect backdrop. Dawn is my recommended time to experience sunflowers.

With sunflowers usually come some bees, but I was lucky enough only to see a few. Can you spot the one below? 🙂

You will find this field on the northwest corner of North Territorial and Whitmore Lake roads. I parked alongside Whitmore Lake road watching the morning dew soak my jeans and shoes. It was well worth it to see the summertime beauty that is sunflowers. I will let the rest of the pictures do the talking.

From my experience sunflowers don’t seem to stay in full bloom for very long. I was so happy that I drove through this intersection this week. 🙂

Where else would you recommend checking out sunflowers in Michigan? Where have you come across them in your travels?

Every October in Michigan brings the end of summer, cooler temperatures and shorter days. With that though comes cider, donuts, corn mazes and most of all the colors of Autumn.

Over the last few weeks I’ve spent a lot of time driving around Ann Arbor, Brighton, Fenton and everywhere in between in lower Michigan with my camera ready to go. Below are some of my favorite shots of what the Fall season is like in Pure Michigan.

Can’t wrap myself around how beautiful Autumn is in Michigan.

The colors of Kensington Metropark in Milford.

The colors of Kensington Metropark in Milford.

The color is all around Kent Lake at Kensington Metropark in Milford.

The color is all around Kent Lake at Kensington Metropark in Milford.

Out on the open Autumn road at Kensington Metropark in Milford.

An Autumn picnic at Huron Meadows Metropark in Brighton anyone?

Overlooking the dock and Maltby Lake at Huron Meadows Metropark in Brighton.

The colors of Huron Meadows Metropark in Brighton.

Finding random Autumn beauty in Fenton.

Dawn and the start of a new Autumn day at Appleton Lake in Brighton.

Ann Arbor Autumn beauty from up-top the Republic Parking structure.

Finding random Autumn colors while driving around the Ann Arbor area.

The Huron River and Barton Nature Area are showing off in Ann Arbor.

Out on the open Autumn road in Huron Meadows Metropark in Brighton.

The leaves of Parker Mill Park in Ann Arbor.

The rainbow of Autumn colors at Parker Mill Park in Ann Arbor.

Huron River Drive in Ann Arbor is a must drive in Fall.

The colors are jumping out at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter.

Autumn is guarding the woods at Kensington Metropark in Milford.

Looking up at the bright orange within Kensington Metropark in Milford.

Autumn colors across the way at Kensington Metropark in Milford.

Out on the open corn maze at Chambers Farm in Pinckney.

Out on the open corn maze at Chambers Farm in Pinckney.

Chambers Farm pumpkin patch in Pinckney.

The pumpkin is posing at the Chambers Farm pumpkin patch in Pinckney.

Autumn above the Parshallville River at Tom Walker’s Grist Mill.

Historic Tom Walker’s Grist Mill in Parshallville.

Pumpkins, cider, donuts and family fun at Spicer Orchards in Fenton.

Cider and donuts and Spicer Orchards in Fenton.

Do you have any places around home or that you have come across in your travels that you like to photograph in Autumn?

I’m at babo: A Market By Sava in Ann Arbor, Michigan enjoying and taking a few pictures of my morning coffee and doing a photo shoot came into my head. A photo shoot, coffee style that is.

So live in the moment I start writing this post, while the coffee(s) and coffee cup(s) were working the camera. First a mocha, than a Spanish Latte. Some shots indoors, than outdoors.

Babo is a local market with fresh produce, a hot and cold bar and groceries. It caters its products to the Ann Arbor area, supporting lots of local producers. They also have a coffee shop with a seating area, to spend some time and soak in the market and community. I was doing just that as the camera was clicking.

Definitely got a better feel for the market as a whole through the coffee photo madness. No worries, I actually drank each coffee too before they got cold. Too coffee photo shoots! I’m now highly caffeinated. 🙂

It’s hard to believe the end of 2014 is already upon us. A great year it has been with lots of time out on the open road. I’m going to highlight the year in travel by picking my favorite Instagram photo from each month.

Winter in Michigan brings snow, cold temperatures and way to early in the day sunsets. Those sunsets though with snow and ice in the foreground never seem to disappoint as on this January evening roaming around Kensington Park in Milford.

There are many places I try to get to once a season to capture photographs. Edgewater Park just west of Downtown Cleveland is one of those spots. The camera is always directed back to the east and the Cleveland skyline, with February usually bringing piles upon piles of lake effect snow.

College town Ann Arbor offers many architectural marvels on-and-off the University of Michigan campus. One such place, a favorite of mine to walk through, is Nickels Arcade. On this March day, I hung out on the ground to get a different feel of this gem.

The end of April brought lots of time out on the Michigan open road along Lake Michigan. Hoffmaster State Park near Muskegon brought picturesque views, a remote beach and made me feel like I was hanging out along the Pacific. My hand in the photo was showing off that I was indeed in The Mitten (Michigan’s Lower Peninsula). I was also up to something else in that photo. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

May brought lots of time in Niagara Falls and not just a trip or a vacation, but also my honeymoon. The Ontario, Canada tourist town served as the first place I got to experience with my wife. While there we passed by scores of flowers, including these yellow daffodils which were guarding the American and Bridal Veil Falls.

The beginning of summer and June brought me to the Windy City. One of my favorite spots to walk when in Chicago is Grant Park because of the greenery and skyline views.

Another month, another honeymoon. Niagara Falls wasn’t enough, so my wife and I decided to take another trip, this time to St. Pete Beach, Florida. Every evening it didn’t matter what we were doing, as long as it involved being on or along the beach at sunset. Watching the sun go down into the Gulf of Mexico night after night was one of the more beautiful scenes I have seen.

August brought me back to roaming Michigan, this time the Lake Huron coastline. It’s not just sunsets with me. Getting up and on the road super early leads to scenes like down below. The beautiful sunrise near Tawas City opened a new day of travel possibilities!

I have spent a lot of time in small-town Findlay, Ohio over the years, but it took until this September to visit the Findlay Reservoir just outside of town. So close to civilization, yet this gem gives off the feel of being far away from everything. I climbed the stairs to reach its vast body of water. It was a relaxing morning with just me and reservoir hanging out.

It being October in Michigan and the Midwest meant I was out roaming and capturing as much Autumn color as possible. The most memorable spot I found was Parker Mill County Park in Ann Arbor. The variety of colors, along with the piles of leaves decorating the ground made for a great place to relax and enjoy the season.

I gravitated to Atlanta, Georgia in November, where the Autumn color was still in full swing. That meant going to my favorite place in the city to walk around, Piedmont Park. Right in the heart of Midtown beautiful color and ATL skyline views awaited me at every turn.

In December I figured to finish the year out right by visiting arguably my favorite spot in Michigan. I climbed up the sand dunes at Grand Haven State Park along Lake Michigan to checkout the lighthouses, catwalk, pier and vast body of water. A romantic spot and view if there was one. 🙂

2014 brought lots of roadtripping and being out on the open road but ultimately when I think back on the year travel won’t be the first thing that comes to mind. That special day in the Spring when I married the love of my life, Erin, will always be front-and-center! 🙂 My favorite Instagram shot of the year, look The Mitten now has a ring. The picture earlier was taken a week before, my last trip as a single guy.

The elATLboy is wishing everyone a safe and happy start to the holiday season. Almost time to get Instagram and my camera ready for some 2015 travel adventures. 🙂

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Welcome to The Adventures of elATLboy. Im a lover of travel, the ATL, Pure Michigan, road trips and coffee. I’ll playfully talk about my past, current and future travels from Michigan, Atlanta, New Zealand and beyond.

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